Congenital

babies with birth defects such as congenital heart disease and other abnormalities. Researchers at the National Teratology Information Service in Newcastle (1) studied 136 babies whose mothers took ecstasy while pregnant. Seventy four said they took only ecstasy but 62 had used ecstasy and other illegal drugs. Eleven of the births ended in miscarriage, which is no more than average. Forty eight of the women chose to have abortions. Of the live births, twelve had congenital abnormalities, such as…

Congenital hemiplegia is a type of cerebral palsy that is caused by brain damage that occurred either before or during birth. It can also be caused by brain damage, sometimes stroke, during childhood (gosh.nhs.uk). With hemiplegia only one side of the brain is affected therefore causing paralysis in the opposite side of the body. The Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association, CHASA.org, is a very useful site that not only has information specific to the treatment and effects of the…

Coarctation of the Aorta Coarctation of the aorta is a congenital defect that can occur in infants. A congenital defect is present at birth and may or may not be discovered before delivery. Once discovered, management of the condition and treatment must begin immediately. Etiology Coarctation of the aorta presents as a narrowing of the aorta near the heart. Specifically, near where the ductus arteriosus joins the heart. Because this narrowing occurs distal to the vessels that supply blood…

A congenital disorder is a birth defect or is a condition that exists at or before birth regardless of cause. (Boston’s Children’s Hospital, n.d) An example of this disorder would be Down syndrome. This population group would be difficult for me to work with…

Congenital malformations is a physical defect present at birth, irrespective of whether the defect is caused by a genetic factor or by events existing before or at birth. In a malformation, the development of a structure is arrested, delayed or misdirected early in embryonic life and the effect is permanent. 1 For centuries, skeletal deformities have fascinated many civilizations. For example, the Egyptian God path was depicted as a short limbed dwarf and metabolic bone disorders were recognised…

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), the cytomegalovirus is the most common viral infection that infants are born with in the United States, is the leading cause of congenital abnormalities, has no cure or vaccine and is spread by body contact and body like sweat and saliva. Recently though, new studies have emerged to provide data on a virus, which has similar characteristics as the cytomegalovirus. This virus is the…

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a defect related to the cardiovascular system. CHD alters the way blood flows into the heart. The irregularity of the heart in people with CHD is developed from birth though symptoms of the condition may not be present until adulthood. During the time of birth the closure of the ductus arteriosus (DA) should occur about 15 hours after birth though functional closure may be delayed for up to 3 months of life. Thus, an open DA is the functional indicator of…

Primary Congenital Glaucoma Overview- Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve. The optic nerve receives nerve impulses from the retina and transmits them to the brain, where it recognizes these electrical signals as vision. Glaucoma is characterized by a particular model of progressive damage to the optic nerve, which usually begins with a subtle loss of side vision (peripheral vision). If glaucoma is not diagnosed and treated, it can progress to blindness. Glaucoma is usually, but not always,…

an estimated one in 2,000 babies is born with all or part of a limb missing. The condition described in these statistics is known as congenital amputation, and covers everything from missing toes to missing limbs such as legs and feet. The book No Excuses tells of the life of the author, Kyle Maynard, and his battle with the limitations of his body. He is a congenital amputee who was born without both his arms and legs and still does everything that everyone else can do. He also wrestles, so…

Congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) has many different forms which may lead to serious problems associated with surgery and anesthesia (1). Although, the sole use of central neuraxial anesthesia and peripheral nerve blocks seem to be safer than general anesthesia in adult patients with CMD), the majority of these techniques require deep sedation or general anesthesia in children (2). A 6.5-year-old girl with the diagnosis of merosin-positive CMD (weight 23 kg, height 123 cm) was scheduled for…